Baku-Tehran: periods of tension

Baku-Tehran: periods of tension
 

Author: Marina Petrova, exclusive to VK

 

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, everything pointed to the fact that Iran and Turkey would join the fight for influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia. And despite the fact that both countries officially deny it, as a result, this has happened. This struggle has resulted in the confrontation between two models of development. If Turkey was represented by secular Western-oriented model of a democratic state, Iran was an Islamic anti-Western country still allowing a certain amount of democracy. Most of the newly formed Caucasian and Central Asian states were gravitated to the Turkish state model and did not seek to get hold of a close relationship with Iran. The Caucasus has long remained the area of intersection of interests of Russia, Turkey and Iran, which at some point of the history considered this region the territory of its influence, and itself - the leader in the region. After the collapse of the Soviet Union Tehran was able to recover this effect.

 

Given the ethnic and cultural, historical, linguistic, and strategic aspects, it would be logical if both Turkey and Iran, in particular, tried to enlist Azerbaijan in the Caucasus. It is the only Muslim country among the three Caucasian countries and moreover, the largest country among them, with its rich natural resources, in contrast to Georgia and Armenia. Both states border on it. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is able to count on the benefits of the Turkish-Iranian competition for the attention of Baku.

 

However, the situation did not develop as smoothly as it could be expected. Unlike Turkey, which once marked the priority of relations with Baku to other former Soviet republics, Iran did not hurry with this step. Turkey, after a short hesitation, took the side of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, while Iran seemed to conduct illogical policy. Who, if not Teheran, should immediately rush to help the brotherly people, Shiites, in their confrontation with Christian Armenia?

 

Unfortunately for the Azerbaijanis this did not happen. At a time when Iran has offered to mediate in the conflict, it did not support Baku in any way. On the contrary, Tehran strongly strengthened and developed cooperation with Armenia. While Turkey supported Azerbaijan in its economic embargo on Yerevan, Iran became the main trade partner of Armenia. The main reason for this seemingly irrational behavior of Tehran is the so-called "issue of Azerbaijan."

 

Turkmenchay peace treaty in 1828 that ended the Russian-Persian war of 1826-1828 divided the territory where Azerbaijanis lived between the two empires. During the Soviet period the border between the Soviet Union and Iran was finalized in 1921. In fact, for the people of Azerbaijan the division of territory between the two countries was a tragedy: broken families, torn cultural and trade ties. 70 years of Soviet history meant that the Soviet and Iranian Azeris were almost two different people: the mentality and way of life were completely different. On the other hand, Azeris on both sides have sought to maintain cultural and family ties with each other. Back in the late XIX century, during the oil boom in Baku, Iranian Azerbaijanis crossed the border in search of work in the oil industry. During the First World War, the Iranian central government was so weak that the de facto the border between empires erased, and nothing prevented contacts between the representatives of one people living in different states. This ended in 1921, and until the end of the 1980s actually Iranian and Soviet Azerbaijanis lost the sight of each other.

 

However, "the Azerbaijani issue" remained relevant to Iran. In 1945, in the wake of Iran's Azerbaijani national movement, the Republic of Azerbaijan emerged, which, however, did not exist for a long time. Immediately after the Soviet Union ceased to support it, the Iranian authorities undertook steps to prevent further manifestations of nationalism in the region, and Iranian Azerbaijan were divided into two provinces in 1946. In 1993, they already were divided into three provinces. This fact proves that the Iranian government has always closely monitored this minority in order to avoid the slightest consolidation of Azerbaijanis with separatist goals. During the Islamic revolution in Iran, many of the country's minority stated their desire for independence.

 

Azerbaijanis were the most numerous not Persian-speaking community in the state, but their national movement in this period was significantly less powerful than the Kurds, for example. On the one hand, Azerbaijanis are Shiites, and turning Iran into a Shiite Islamic republic not meant negative effects for them, unlike the Kurds and Arabs of other religious beliefs. In addition, many Iranian Azerbaijanis considered the territory of Iran is as belonging both to themselves and to the Persians. For many years they were firmly integrated into the Iranian social and political system and, it can be said, considered themselves both Azerbaijanis and Iranians. Some national political movement called not for separation and reunion with the northern Azerbaijan, but for integrating it into Iran. Nevertheless, this does not mean that the Azerbaijani national independence movements in Iran did not exist.

 

After the collapse of the Soviet Union the Republic of Azerbaijan became independt, which, however, did not please Tehran. Iran was experiencing uneasy times of economic downturn and ongoing social tensions in a multicultural society. At this time, right at its border an independent state appeared which had large reserves of oil and gas and the titular nation of which was the largest Iranian diaspora. It would seem that Tehran should support a new state of the brotherly people in order not to get criticism from Iranian Azerbaijanis. But Iranian authorities have gone a completely different way, trying at every opportunity to oppose the policy of Azerbaijan, despite the fact that not only the Iranian Azerbaijanis, but also the entire population of the country required to take the side of Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenia.

 

Thus, the Iranian government sees Azerbaijan as a threat to its regime. Looking to the future, Tehran suggested that if Azerbaijan will thrive economically thanks to its rich natural resources and become a strong, independent secular state, it would be a serious threat to Iran with its national movements of minorities, as well as the difficult economic and social situation. For this reason, Iran did not support Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but rather supported the Armenian side. Today, the Iranian-Azerbaijani relations are experiencing another period of tension, which is sometimes interrupted by brief moments of relaxation (such as the liberation of Azerbaijani poets, who were arrested in Iran, from prison). Despite all the official assurances of fraternal feelings and accusations of third parties of deliberate provocations in order to upset the friendly relations between the two nations, Iran’s attitude to Azerbaijan is more than cool: Iran does not forgive Azerbaijani close ties with the West, especially Israel, and the secular nature of its development.

 

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